News release

From: PNAS

Wind turbine exposure and health outcomes

High-resolution data collected across the United States show negligible evidence of adverse health outcomes tied to wind turbine exposure, a study finds. Despite helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, wind turbine installations have raised concerns about potential health effects, particularly from infrasound and low-frequency noise emissions. However, the evidence, often based on small samples or self-reported symptoms, remains inconclusive.

Osea Giuntella and colleagues linked detailed geographic data on turbine installations with individual-level health and consumer data. Specifically, the authors analyzed data from the US Wind Turbine Database, which records the location and operational timeline of approximately 75,000 turbines installed between 1981 and 2024. The authors combined the dataset with survey data collected between 2011 and 2023 from more than 120,000 US households spanning roughly 20,000 ZIP codes. The surveys provided information on health conditions, such as headaches, sleep disorders, anxiety, and depression. The authors also incorporated consumer purchasing data on sleep aids and painkillers as behavioral proxies.

Across all measures, the analysis showed negligible evidence that living near wind turbines leads to moderate-to-large adverse health effects at typical exposure distances. According to the authors, the combined approach enables a granular assessment of the public health implications of wind energy development.